According to a new study by research firm NPD Group more U.S. gamers are warming up to the idea of buying their games online - thanks mostly to "lowered barriers of entry." The data comes from the NPD Group's new Online Gaming 2012 report. The report found that about 75 percent of U.S. consumers who play games online acquired at least one game during the first quarter of 2012. The survey also found that the percentage of gamers who say they prefer downloading or buying titles online has increased considerably (35 percent) compared to last year (25 percent).

The report also found that those consumers who only acquire games online said they had downloaded an average of six titles, while those who buy games only at retail purchased an average of three. Consumers open to both physical and digital purchases went game crazy with an average of 15 games.

NPD also said that there was a slight increase of online gamers who said that entertainment offerings on their favorite consoles ultimately distract them from gaming, as well as those who say that they have spent less money on games because of entertainment features. One in five online gamers claimed that another household member uses their system for non-gaming entertainment activities (up by 3 percent compared to 2011).